The Life Ahead is an adaptation of the book La Vie Devant Soi by Romain Gary. It was previously adapted by Israeli filmmaker Moshe Mizrahi and won the 1978 foreign-language Oscar.

"I couldn't be more pleased to be working with Netflix on such a special film," Loren said. "In my career, I've worked with the biggest studios, but I can safely say that none have had the breadth of reach and the cultural diversity of Netflix, and that's what I love about them.

"They have understood that you don't build a global studio unless you cultivate local talent in every country and give these unique voices an opportunity to be heard. Everyone deserves to be heard, this is what our film The Life Ahead is all about and that is also what Netflix is all about."